Descrated Darwin Fish.

[Gawdzilla]

http://www.flascience.org/wp/?p=1362

Escalating vandalism at Florida Museum of Natural History

There’s something unsavory, and I dare say cowardly going on behind the Florida Museum of Natural History. The facility located at the University of Florida, Gainesville is a gorgeous one with an entrancing butterfly rainforest exhibit and a Hall of Florida Fossils that a person can easily spend an entire day in alone. I visited the museum with my wife and kids a while ago and we all felt that it was worth the day trip drive. But we didn’t know that a unique predator of sorts had been prowling nearby.

The researchers who work at the museum and the adjoining Bartram-Carr Hall are proud of their work and aren’t shy about letting the world know what they do. They display Darwin Fish emblems on their cars and some even have bumper stickers along the lines of “Smile, you are an ape!” and “Evolution is a fact.” But it’s obvious that someone isn’t amused. Vandals have struck.

It started small. Darwin Fish emblems would be ripped off cars a few times a year. Undeterred, the victims would simply replace them. Then bumper stickers were scraped off. Then notes containing prayers were left on cars. And now the vandal has apparently taken the next step: driving nails into tires. One researcher said she discovered a long nail had been deliberately forced into the side rim of her new tire, destroying it. Another researcher had both front tires ruined by long nails. These incidents all happened in a parking lot behind Bartram-Carr Hall.

[edited to add: There is erroneous information going around that the victims had never reported these incidents to the university police department. In fact, there were multiple reports filed. The latest incident was filed with the police on June 23, 2011. Case report number was 11-1178. ]

So far, there appear to be no leads on who the vandal is, or even how many vandals there may be. Please spread the word about this and if you happen to be in the area be vigilant. Ripping an emblem off a car and leaving notes full of prayers is annoying and wrong, but destroying tires is on another level. And who knows if the vandalism will escalate even further?

:nono: Somehow I'm not surprised.

[The Grand Nudger]

It is a nice museum. I actually am surprised. The parking lot is well enough lit, it's in a very decent neighborhood. The main drags in and out arent really residential, so in theory it should be easy to catch the person(s).

I used to bring them arrowheads before they moved into the building they're in now....It was the first museum I ever went to as a child.

[Judas BentHer]

Can you smell the Christ like atmosphere surrounding this story?

I'm surprised they can't catch whomever is responsible for this, with security camera's one would hope are in place in the lot. If they're not, they certainly should be not just to catch these egg heads, but for overall security on campus.
Then again, is it any wonder the sheeple would be opposed to the notion of evolution? Change! Well that's just wrong! When god wants us to change he'll wag his little cosmic finger and Fundy's will suddenly be able to count past 6,000 years.

[The Grand Nudger]

It's part of the UF Campus, which had a little serial killer issue a ways back, so yes, there are cameras, everywhere.

[Gawdzilla]

"And who shall watch the watchers?" The minimum wage, poorly educated, probably God-fearin' watchers?

[The Grand Nudger]

The minimum wage, poorly educated college students. Still, they should be able to catch this guy. The place really is one of those camera at every corner type places. Then again, with cuts in every program, who knows how many mirrored boxes are empty, and how many more cameras haven't seen a service check in a decade?

Could probably make some observation on the very loose form of hold on us any sort of authority has proactively. But Sae would only interpret it as an endorsement of anarchy.

Gainesville isn't a bad town at all by the way, massive hospital, Shands. It's the little towns around G-Ville, Like Hawthorne or Micanopy...well, them folks always say they's from Gainesville to reporters, cause'n they's Gator fans.

[Minimalist]

So far, there appear to be no leads on who the vandal is, or even how many vandals there may be.

It's probably the fucking cops doing it.

[Judas BentHer]

It's part of the UF Campus, which had a little serial killer issue a ways back, so yes, there are cameras, everywhere.

Good! I remember the dorm serial killer headlines years back. Tragic.
So with camera's everywhere one could presume there's computers or a recording apparatus that records and stores the coverage of those areas presently being vandalized. So, it's a matter of going back over the disc's to see what's there and then, what with facial ID software that can be installed, finding who's doing this. Either from the images recorded in comparison to what's on the disc's, to their drivers license. Or campus ID's.

As said, presuming here. Maybe if it escalates more outside authorities will get involved and check those cameras to make sure they're installed and recording. If not, the folks paying their children's tuition should be made aware that those kid's personal security is only for show. Which would speak poorly of the priorities at UoF. While acting as a forewarning to any parent or potential student looking to go to college in future.

[The Grand Nudger]

It also cant be too expensive to go through all of that footage, if it is they just don't care, it's stickers and emblems.

[Gawdzilla]

It also cant be too expensive to go through all of that footage, if it is they just don't care, it's stickers and emblems.

Especially if the owners can tell them the date and location of the vandalism. Police reports will help with that.